Ministry of Foreign Affairs to create new format of Ukrainian embassies

15.03.2021 15:13

Ukrinform

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will set up the embassies of Ukraine abroad with a residence in Kyiv and diplomatic missions in “1+2” format, i.e., an ambassador and two diplomats.

“From now on, we will be able to establish Ukrainian embassies abroad with a residence in Kyiv. That is, an embassy is physically located in Ukraine and ensures the presence of our state in a foreign country remotely. In the totally online era, such an institution can perform almost all the same functions as physically located in a host country," Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said, revealing the details of the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 99 / 2021 on foreign diplomatic missions, the Ministry’s press service informs.

As the minister noted, the format of remote diplomatic presence successfully functions in many foreign countries, including the European Union members, and now Ukraine is beginning to implement this best practice as a supplement to traditional formats of diplomatic presence.

In addition, the minister touched upon the new "1+2" format (ambassador and two diplomats) of Ukrainian embassies abroad which is now being implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Diplomatic service is in many ways similar to military service. Its future lies in compact, mobile units that are able to perform tasks quickly and efficiently. So, we developed a new format. The ‘1+2’ embassies will become just such compact diplomatic teams, in particular in countries and regions where Ukraine has not been represented yet,” the minister explained.

Kuleba reminded that he set five priorities to all heads of foreign diplomatic missions: to strengthen Ukraine’s security, increase trade and investment, help Ukrainians abroad, increase Ukraine’s “soft power” abroad and expand freedom of travel for Ukrainians.

“Innovations allow us to expand the geography of Ukraine's presence in the world with significant savings of taxpayers' money. More presence means more opportunities for the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian business and citizens,” the minister concluded.

As reported, President Zelensky approved the Regulations on Foreign Diplomatic Missions of Ukraine, which define their status, tasks and functions.